Withered Leaves
by ForgottenHamster
Summary: There are two gods, one with an evil past, one with an angelic present. they, in a sense, are married you will figure out what that means. the two fight desperatley to save their city, but who survives? violence,blood,gore,language,lil romance
1. Burning city

There was fire; fire began to dot the city giving it a blood red glow and smoke darkened the night sky. Great balls of fire had come down and struck the city not ten minutes ago. Fire balls could only be summoned by Entities or Gods as the humans call them, and the Iys were known to be Godless warriors. The fire balls struck the western wall which opened a gap for the besieging Iysian warriors to pour into the city. No doubt her husband was desperately leading the defense of a doomed city.

She was horrified at the screams that echoed below and the now smoldering buildings that were hit by stray fire balls. The smell of ash and burnt flesh stung her nostrils. She would need to go now and aid her people below, but a thought of hopelessness crossed her mind which she quickly swatted away; there is always hope.

Amaye turned from the Temple throne room balcony to look upon her personal servants, she had long shimmering platinum hair that spilled over her shoulders, unnaturally deep crimson eyes that were filled with sorrow, and soft milky white skinned face that looked sixteen though she was far older than that. This is Amaye Goddess of fertility; her specialty was healing the sick and making food appear for the hungry. Her husband was Hiur God of Forests which was actually more of a nickname because of his odd obsession with growing forests. Strange how when they first met he was a demonic God and how dramatically he has changed.

Through her sorrow a small grin appeared on her face and she murmured "Where did they go?" The servants gave her puzzled expressions and one was almost going to ask before she soon said "It is time we go, I must aid my people and you will help put out the fires." She must now compose herself for what must be done and let nothing else get in her way, it vexed Amaye that this strange emotion of love that she received from her human subjects could be so weakening. The Gods have no use for such emotions yet it caught on like a disease, so foreign it is to the Entities. Even the physical form that the Entities manifest into is not of their choosing. Perhaps this luck that seems to control everything the Gods don't is really the ultimate Entity that rules with an unseen hand.

"By the Gods, what the hell is that?" This call and similar ones suddenly rang out across the battlements of the western wall as the defenders of Definol stared upward at the sparkling night sky. He stared too before realizing that the strange objects were really flaming balls of fire surging toward the 120 or so soldiers that were lining the wall. He suddenly muttered "Holy crap," and then yelled "You bastards! Get off the damn wall!" Hiur took a firm hold of the three closest men, leaped off the wall, and landed thirty yards away. Hiur was only able to save three, the rest were either dead or wounded; the wounded would soon be killed by the coming horde of thousands of Iysian spearmen. Suddenly as he surveyed the area of scattered bodies a strange emotion erupted within him, a great urge to save the wounded from their sealed fate, but there was no time, no time for silly emotions, only time for war.

Hiur, formally known as God of battles, prided himself as a strategist but pondered at the possibility of defeat, this one was called fear, he knew that much and he decided it was just another one of those silly human emotions. "You three, I am forfeiting this area, for now, move to the eastern part of the city and get everyone underground, I will send more aid."

"Yes my lord"

They were just militia but at least he could trust them, loyalty is a luxury he was unable to sport in the past, thus he cherishes it now. As Hiur leaped over the rooftops of the houses and buildings of Definol he thought if it was possible to use his demonic powers here. No, he would kill his own people, Amaye would have his head if he tried anything like that; she was such a bitch. Hiur grinned. It seems that this time he would need to rely on his own strength and the strength of his warriors. Hiur frowned at this, he didn't like his odds, and what's worse is, how will he get Amaye out of the city? She was no warrior. No, he mustn't think of that, it will only cloud his judgment. Oh how Hiur cursed this emotion of love.

"Curses men, get that barricade ready! If you plan on out living the night I suggest you move your fat asses now!" Damn it, how the hell did Hiur expect to survive this! As captain of the defenders of Definol and personal friend of Hiur, Kenbuyn had the right to question the strategic judgment of his deity. If any other soldier felt the need to do this he would have the right to be killed on the spot, though Hiur rarely did that anymore.

"The Iys, they are here!" cried one of the men.

"Damn it, those bastards couldn't give us a few more moments, okay then, archers move to the front, ready…" Kenbuyn had at least sixty men under his control, there were perhaps 500 or so soldiers throughout the city. The odds were three to one for the entire city, not very good odds, and the odds for his unit of soldiers at this moment was more like five to one. "Fire!" Twenty arrows shot out and brought down the front line of the charging Iysian warriors. These are narrow streets that gave him some advantage. "Rooftop archers, fire!" Arrows fell down upon the enemy from above and more Iys fell, but not enough. The enemy returned fire, arrows crashed down on his men. "Shields, raise your shields men" too late for some of his soldiers and they went down, Kenbuyn heard their cries and gurgles as the stone tipped arrows pierced their armor. The Iysian warriors reached the barricade and attempted to clamber over it, this is where the infantry come in. "Archers fall back, infantry move to the front, defend the Barricade!" Some of the Iys got over the Barricade, but the soldiers just hacked them down, the defenders became beasts; that was the only way to survive a war. The Iys soon began to swarm over the barricade; Kenbuyn swung his broadsword into the skull of an Iys. He then quickly turned to face another opponent who was currently raising an axe over his big ugly head. Kenbuyn side stepped left, parried, and swung his broadsword into the Iysian's side. His enemy then buckled over and collapsed on the ground, unable to breathe. An Iys stuck a spear through one of the soldiers standing next to Kenbuyn; he gurgled and died on the stone floor. More and more of his soldiers fell and more Iys swarmed over the Barricade like rats drawn to a morsel of cheese. Kenbuyn was no longer fighting on stone, but on bodies and pools of blood, a smell of ash, blood and sweat permeated in the air. He had only four men left, this fight was over. "Retreat, head to safer ground, we lost the Barricade!" Kenbuyn's men immediately began to run; it was something they desired to do long before he gave the order. Their loyalty was uncanny for them to have held out this long. Kenbuyn noticed he still had an archer on the rooftop firing down upon the enemy, what loyalty. "Archer fall back!" he called in a desperate attempt to let him know it was over.

"Sir, we have to get the hell out of here," one of the soldiers called to him.

"You men go without me, I will catch up later."

"But sir"…he began to object.

"That was an order soldier, now go!"

"Yes sir!"

Just then an arrow pierced the man's throat, blood spilled out from the wound and onto Kenbuyn. The man fell to the ground just like his comrades before him groping at his neck, eyes wide with fear and pain. He couldn't be saved but perhaps there was still hope for the archer on the roof, perhaps he could still save him. Kenbuyn made a mad dash for the flat roofed house that the archer took his stand. He tried to cry out to the archer again but his voice could not be heard over the raging fires and the war cries of Iysian barbarians. Kenbuyn was now hacking away left and right at Iysian warriors, he swung around and caught one in the shoulder then turned back to see his progress. The house wasn't far but he wasn't getting any closer with all these bastards swarming around him. Then he saw it when he turned around, an axe coming down to slice off his arm. It all happened in slow motion, Kenbuyn then tried to swing his sword to parry the attack but he knew that it was too late. But the Iysian axe man suddenly stopped and then collapsed on the ground, there was an arrow in his back. It was the archer, Asehn, who then proceeded to fill more Iysians with Definol arrows. Asehn then began to go down the stairs; he was a man of early twenties and held an air of invincibility that came with youth. Asehn then stopped half way down the stairs from the roof and fired another arrow; Kenbuyn didn't care where it went.

"You old fool why the hell did you come back here, you know I can take care of my self!"

"Like hell you can!" He then looked behind to see what became of his soldiers as Asehn was conjuring a retort. All he saw though were Iysians, Iysians ahead and Iysians behind, it was getting lighter out. There was no time they needed to get out, another Iysian axe men came out to attack, no, four more. So Asehn finally shut up and the two men got to work, perhaps they could hack their way out, as mistress Amaye taught, there is always hope…


	2. War of Rats and Gods

ForgottenHamster: ok, no one has reviewed my stuff, well almost nobody. I'm a little upset and I feel a need to hit stuff but I wont, instead I'll say this, screw you bitches!

Hiur: who the hell are you calling a bitch!

ForgottenHamster: wait! Wa! No, I wasn't talking about you, moron!

Hiur: what did you call me! That's it, you're so frickin dead!

ForgottenHamster: No! Hold on a moment I wasn't…ow

Amaye: Hiur!

Hiur: what?

Amaye: why are you beating up this poor mortal?

Hiur: huh? You think I'm going to take that kind of talk from him?

Amaye: you will take what ever the hell I say you can take!

Hiur: oh! You wanna start something women!

Amaye: you know it! I beat you once I can do it again!

PUNCH, SCRATCH, OUCH, ect.

ForgottenHamster: uhh…here is…the chapter 2…ugff…

War of Rats and Gods…

Hiur, originally named God of Battles, was fighting for the life of his men, and the life of his city. The Iysian horde was constantly forcing the defenders of Definol back because of their infinite numbers. Hiur understood what the Iysians were after; they planned to tear down his temple, the focus of a God's power. Without the temple Hiur would no longer be able to access the seven regions of the Great Void, through the regions the Gods are able to call forth miraculous deeds; the stronger the God, the farther it can reach through the regions. The temple can always be rebuilt, but a God was very vulnerable during the duration of time the rebuilding process took. In the end a God protects its temple first among all things, but he realized that there was something more important to him then the temple, and that was his "wife". However, if Hiur expects to outlive this battle he would need to forget his feelings, and focus on reality, Hiur was not ready to accept early retirement. The Iys had already pushed the Definol lines too close to the hill that Hiur's temple stood on; his lines would need to hold. Hiur looked back at his temple which seemed more like a citadel, its grey stone looked like it could take a beating, but what if they brought in siege weapons? He has too many things to consider, should he risk the temple for his people and his beloved Amaye or continue this endless battle. The whole thing seemed so hopeless, Amaye, his people, and himself were all going to die in a burning city, unless…

"You!" he chose the closest soldier next to him.

"Yes my lord?" He was a young man, too young for war, but he looked well enough to do the mission his master was about to give him.

"Go to the underground chamber and order everyone to head immediately for the outside of the temple, tell them to await my arrival. Go with haste, and do not delay!"

"Yes my lord!" The young man had taken on an air of importance and was eager to leave the carnage. He was just another one of the many militia men that made up the Definol army, but Hiur needed soldiers, not little boys and old men. Due to Amaye's policy of peace, Hiur was left with a tender fighting force, not yet ripened for battle. If only she had let him go out and raid a few villages they would be more prepared for an attack like this, but she never let him have much fun, and she was too naïve for her own good. Amaye thought she could win these rats over with peace talks and gifts, but it obviously didn't work and she should have listened to him. Her angelic personality disgusted him, yet at the same time she enchanted him. He was so confused, he never understood love nor did he desire to.

Hiur looked over at the quiet street from behind the mansion, but he knew that it was not as it seemed, behind those open doors were Iys shielding themselves from steel arrows and archers taking cover on the rooftops, hiding, and waiting for someone to make a move. Earlier, the Iys were slaughtering this unit, but when he arrived it turned to a stalemate. This would go so much faster if she would just let him release his true power, but she always kept him bound by an iron chain. Why wouldn't Amaye let him use his powers! Anger began to boil within him. Hiur sprinted forward, and then hid behind the next house; there was no time for barricades any more so they used the houses and workshops that were left untouched for cover against the enemy. Arrows, from his men, shot right past Hiur, and he heard the thud of steel hitting the wooden doors that the Iys hid behind like cowards.

"You idiots, fire your arrows over the door; have them rain on top of the enemy!" he lingered here too long, Hiur was neglecting the other sections of the city, but he couldn't be in two places at once. Already light began to spill it's golden rays over the Sehnfit mountains revealing the mangled bodies that littered the street; most of the bodies belonged to Iysian scum.

Hiur was behind the house on the left half of the street; he felt the hard, cold stone under his palms and decided that these Iysians have outstayed their welcome. He moved out from behind the house and charged the nearest door; the Iysian archers, that were on the rooftops, notched arrows and took aim. Hiur punched the door with his left fist, though he was right-handed, and the door splintered into many pieces. The Iysian spearman that hid behind that door flew five yards away and smashed against the stone floor with a crunch. The archers let their arrows fly towards the God of Battles, but with tremendous speed he split each arrow in two with his claws.

Definol arrows whistled over Hiur's head and this time found the quarry on the rooftops. Seven more Iysian spearmen and axe men came out of hiding and charged toward Hiur. More arrows shot passed him some finding Iysian tanned skin, but most thudded harmlessly against their iron shields.

"Damn it, they just don't stop coming!" one of his soldiers cried. Hiur charged forward as more Iysians poured into the street. He heard his own infantry run in to help their deity; he had forgoten to order them to hang back. "No! Stay back I shall handle these Godless bastards;" the soldiers would just get in the way, and he was trying to preserve these men's lives if they helped he might kill a few. He couldn't take it anymore, why can't these rats just die? Why did she have to be such a stubborn bitch? All Hiur wanted was to be set free.

There were dozens of Iysian warriors flooding into the streets now, and more archers took there position on the rooftops. Hiur then leaped forward grabbed one Iysian's head and smashed it on the nearest building. He was only able to catch a few precious moments of the man sliding against the tan stoned building trailing blood on his way down, because he knew there would be another enemy behind him. Hiur turned his head to the right and sure enough there was an Iys preparing to thrust an iron tipped spear into his chest, and with fluid speed swung his right arm and made a deep gash in his throat; blood shot out and then snaked down the Iysians neck to stain the leather armor below. There were now two dead men at his feet and six more coming at him; Hiur grinned; he enjoyed the feel of their warm blood running down his arms. However he noticed that they were the only ones trying to surround him, the rest kept running poised to slaughter the soldiers he had been protecting. "No! I am your enemy you rats!" he screamed at them but it was no use, so instead he leaped sixty feet away so that he was now ahead of the attacking Iys. "Defenders of Definol, charge!" There just wasn't away to kill them all and protect the soldiers, but then again…no Amaye would not stand for it, and she would sense the demonic aura. Damn it! He hated having to follow her orders, but what if He didn't kill his own men…the urge was tempting and he could not fight it any longer. Hiur's soldiers and the Iysian horde met, and now they battled. He had dawdled far too long it was now or never. He chose now.

The process would only take a few moments and when he was ready he would call his men to retreat; simple enough. Hiur took his position in the middle of the street, revealing his true stature of at least seven feet tall. Hiur was clad in obsidian black armor with spikes going down his shoulders, his plate legs were covered with the lower half of a robe made of strange clothe, and a red dragon was laced across it. He, the God of Battles, was a site to behold and it often intimidated men into submission, but, oddly enough, this did not work on the Iys. Hiur bowed his head in concentration as the sound of war continued to rage on. If he did not move fast the soldiers might be obliterated, and all his efforts to save them would crumble. Hiur quickly began to unlock the realm of the Great Void granting him access to the first region, the region of sustenance and lightening. A great wind, a foreboding wind of spiritual energy, began to tornado around him blowing his hair in every direction. The black clad figure had his hands clasped in a foreign way as he concentrated on unlocking the second region. He was starkly visible in the middle of the street with the light of dawn shining against his black armor and a whirlwind coursing around him, yet the Iys were seemingly unaffected by what would have scared the shit out of any other man. A few Iysian archers shot at Hiur but they flew away harmlessly against the demonic whirlwind. He then unlocked the second region, the region of healing and fire. In this region he searched through his knowledge of flames and drew out his favored skill, dragon fire. A grin crossed over his face, a sinister one.

"These damn rats have held me here long enough," he murmured, and then called "Retreat!" Eighteen defenders struggled to free themselves from the clutches of the enemy, though most escaped, Hiur saw that there were still three more desperately fighting their way out. There was no time, it was now or never, and he would rather choose now; Amaye would have his head for this. Hiur moved his arm out toward the enemy, palm facing forward, and his hand began to glow like the sun. He then saw fear start to slither across their faces; perhaps the Iysians were not as fearless as he thought. A pillar of fire suddenly blasted from his arm engulfing the entire street in flames. The Iysians attempted to flee but it was too late. Hiur heard their useless cries and he absorbed them into his ears; these were the cries of agony and suffering, and he missed them so much. He lowered his arm and looked down the street; the entire area was a long river of black, smoke, and fire. He could see through the fire and smoke that there were still people alive yelling out orders. Apparently there were more Iys in this area, but it wouldn't make a whole lot of difference. Hiur felt so alive, he was a caged, famished animal which was finally released from iron chains. The memories of his evil and bloody past were returning to him. It was a strengthening experience; that was a more liberal era where he could experience this all the time. He was a frightening figure with his obsidian armor reflecting the light of the dancing fire; his body emanated with a demonic glow.

"My lord?" An officer had taken one cautious step forward. The inquisitive statement brought Hiur back to his senses; he had an army to lead, and he was no longer the evil God of Genduyil, but champion of Definol. "What shall we do now?" the man continued.

"They are dead and the fires will hold the other Iysians back for now" Hiur was returning to normal, that feeling of ecstasy slowly ebbing away, but he still held the slight glint of evil in his eyes. "I think that you men should remain here anyway." He had managed to create a defensive perimeter around his temple, and he planned on holding onto it, for now.

There were two men, running through the alleys and hiding behind houses. One was old, perhaps late thirties or early forties, the other was young, around early twenties. The two looked very different; the old man had brown hair with gray lines going through it, held a broadsword in his right hand, and he wore a dagger at his left hip. The young man had shiny, short, jet-black hair, held a short bow in his left hand, and wore a short sword at his right hip. The only similarities were that their hair was filled with soot, they wore iron plate armor, and troubled expressions.

The old man poked his head out from behind the flat roofed house to observe on the street beyond; the younger of the two was busy making sure no Iysian wandered into the alley. Screams and cries suddenly shot out from one of the houses across the street, and then the door shot open allowing a women to walk out, well more like kicked out. The women was grasping onto a bloody bundle of clothe and crying madly on the stone floor. The Iysian kicked the poor women again and she rolled over letting go of the bundle and holding onto her chest; a baby fell out of the bundle and rolled onto the floor with a slit throat. The younger man could not control himself any longer; he wanted to see so badly, so he looked over the old man's shoulder to discover the source of the cries. The Iysian spearman looked down at the now sobbing women hungrily, like all men he had an earthly desire that begged to be nurtured. The old man turned to see the young archer looking over his shoulder, and he began to make hand gestures to get him to go back to his post, but the young archer was unable to tear his eyes from the scene, so the old man gave up. Just as the Iysian was about to force himself upon her an officer barked something in a foreign language; The Iysian warrior, looking a little disappointed, lifted his spear from the ground, and stabbed the poor women with it. Her cries became louder so the Iysian stabbed her two more times in the chest to shut her up. The old man kept a straight face, but the younger of the two winced, then rage began to set in. He reached for an arrow, but the old man put out a hand to stop him, then gave him a look that said, "Welcome to the battlefield, so get over it." The young man was a pretty good marksman, but he was not used to scenes such as this, because Definol had not been to war in eight years.

They continued down the alley keeping to the shadows, dawn was already shedding golden beams of light against the bloody streets revealing bodies, crumbling houses, and even some buildings that were still burning. The morning light would make it harder for him and Kenbuyn to hide, but Asehn was still thankful for getting some way of escaping from the Iysian horde. Asehn made a silent prayer to Hiur, God of Forests, it was definitely a miracle. Kenbuyn, once more, looked over at the street scanning for any sign of life while Asehn guarded their backs. Asehn noticed a rat scurrying through the alley; it was looking for something occasionally sniffing at the air.

"Asehn, come over here," the old man whispered.

"What is it?" he whispered back.

"See for yourself." Asehn went over to Kenbuyn, and kneeled beside him to see what was happening. Kenbuyn pointed down the street, so Asehn followed the old man's finger and his eyes landed on six or seven Definoli soldiers stalking the area, and they were coming their way! Finally, just a few hours ago Asehn thought that the barricade would be his grave, but now he saw six armor plated spearmen and one commander walking through the street; he and Kenbuyn were finally safe. Asehn then began to get up and greet his saviors, but Kenbuyn caught his arm with amazing speed, ripped Asehn down, and pushed him back up against the stone walled house with tremendous force. The wind was knocked out of Asehn, and pain rippled across his back. He was just about to swear louder then he ever had before when Kenbuyn's hand shot out again, but this time clamped tightly around Asehn's mouth. Asehn tried to say "What the hell is wrong with you, you senile bastard!" But it came out in a muffled string of nonsense. "Keep quite, damn it!" the old man whispered. "I swear I will dismember you limb from limb unless you follow my orders without any of your bullshitting." Kenbuyn's eyes boiled with aggravation; what was it about youth that angered old men so much? Asehn shot back an expression of annoyance, didn't Kenbuyn understand that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Kenbuyn then began to remove his hold over Asehn and turned his attention back to the street. Asehn took this as an invitation to continue observing the approaching soldiers. The commander carried a battle axe, had dirty blonde hair, and seemed more like a pretty boy with muscles than a warrior. There was something to his eyes though; it was the same thing he saw in Kenbuyn's eyes, like a man that has seen much, almost like wisdom but something more disturbing. Asehn then scanned the other six soldiers and noticed their expressions were that of seasoned warriors, not of weak hearted militia, and they carried empty sacks on their backs. Thank the heavens! They had been sent veterans to their rescue.

"Hey, Kenbuyn, what are we waiting for?" Asehn whispered, pain still climbing up and down his back.

"You'll see, for now notch an arrow to your bow string. You will charge in behind me when I give the order."

What! Was Kenbuyn actually planning on attacking his own men, had this old man actually gone insane! Asehn wasn't sure what to do, this was his captain for five years. Should he back Kenbuyn up or try to stop him, surely he realized that he was up against seven seasoned warriors? Then he heard something. The doors to the stone houses suddenly burst open, admitting Iysian warriors to charge into the street. Kenbuyn grabbed him again, this time pushing him up against the wall with much less force, as ten more Iysians ran down the street past their alley, and five more popped out of nearby houses.

"Okay Asehn, this is the moment so don't screw it up," Kenbuyn said with a prideful grin, "I think it is about time we greet our fellow Definoli brethren." Asehn looked at Kenbuyn in surprise, how the hell did the old bastard know that there would be an ambush? At that moment he gained a little more respect for his captain, and then ran out from behind the house; now _they_ would be the ambushers.

The soldier's moans of pain began to drift away as Amaye healed his bloody arm. The silvered-hair Goddess could access healing almost at will now, though it does take a few seconds to reach the second region of the great void. As she was healing the wounded soldier she felt something chilling in the air; It was demonic energy! She closed her eyes trying to pinpoint the source; the source of the demonic energy was coming from something northwest of the temple. Amaye searched deeper and discovered that it was Hiur! Fire erupted from his hand and killed dozens of Iys, but not only Iys he also killed three of his own men. Damn that reckless bastard! Why can't he just control himself for once?

"Bless you my lady." The man broke her concentration, but she simply smiled, she will deal with Hiur later. The man's voice was still pretty weak, she may have healed the wound but it would take at least an hour for his body to recover. Her powers only sped up the healing process exponentially, but she could not re-grow limbs. Amaye looked down at what was left of the arm, but she shouldn't have; the look of blood vessels and skin tissue webbing across the wound to close it up still sickened her. She tried very hard not to cringe, because she did not want to show her people weakness; now was a time for strength. Amaye then removed her hand from above the now fleshy stump, and moved from the wooden chair to survey the room. It was a vast rectangular chamber made of grey stone, pillars spread out through the underground safe house creating an intricate support system. There were benches with wounded, dead, or dying people, bloody towels, jugs of water, and physicians scurrying about the place; this place was directly under the temple. Amaye had put great emphasis on making sure there were trained physicians in the city because she could not take care of them all. She looked down at her blood stained gown; it was once pure white, with blue and pink flowery embroidered into the right side, and the black hand of healing at her breast. She could clean it in seconds with her Godly powers, but she would not do it in front of her subjects lest they ask her to wipe away the filth from all of their clothes; it was selfish, but she would rather not be put into that position.

Then the sound of hasty footsteps hitting stone, and the clanking noise of armor, came from the stair case leading to the underground chamber. A young man of fourteen with red hair appeared from the spiral staircase. The boy brought with him a smell of ash, sweat, and blood; these were the smells of a hard battle.

"My lady, I have brought a message from lord Hiur," the boy knelt on one knee.

"Rise, and tell what news you bring from my husband," some of the physicians and servants stopped to listen; there had not been any news from the surface. Amaye made a gesture with her hand, and the servants continued on their way. She then signed for the boy to continue.

"Hiur requests that you take everyone up to the temple, and wait for him there." The Goddess looked at him with astonishment; why would Hiur request such a thing? Even if the battle was going in their favor, which she highly doubted, the underground chambers would still be a safer place for the people. Unless Hiur meant to flee the city through one of the gates, but surely he knew that that would be suicide, the Iys would have every gateway blocked. Amaye would need to know more about the status of the battle in order to understand why Hiur believed fleeing to the Temple would be the best course of action.

"What is the status of the battle?"

"Uh…I'm not quite sure…I mean I was only stationed in one area."

"Well you were fighting in the city for so long there must have been reports passing through back and forth; you must know something," she was getting a bit frustrated with the red headed boy; how did he not know what was happening?

"I'm sorry my lady…well…" the boy continued to stammer. Amaye was obviously not getting anywhere like this. So she softened her expression and said, "Please I must know." This time she said it in a much kinder tone.

"Okay…I believe reports came in when the battle began that the Iys moved much faster than anticipated and surrounded us inside the city, and we attempted to erect barricades, but they were all captured within hours." This was interesting, but she wanted to know what was going on currently. Amaye, Goddess of fertility, held her temper at bay, anger was not going to solve anything.

"What did you last hear of the Definoli defense?"

"Hmm...multiple reports flew in about how the Iysians were pushing closer to the temple…another one saying units 7-10 and 13-17 were eradicated …and Hiur is trying to hold a defensive perimeter about 300 yards away from the temple, beyond that I do not know." She stood there for a few moments contemplating what strategy he may take. The city itself was a circle; from what this boy was telling her and other sources she knows that the Iys attacked through the western gate, then they destroyed all the barricades which were held by units 5-10 and 13-18, and now she hears that the Iys have surrounded them. Hiur would not use the temple as a defensive position. Generally, such a tactic would make sense since the temple was really basically a citadel. There was really no reason for bringing the people up to the temple unless…he couldn't possibly do it…he must be buying time…surely this was hopeless; no, she must never think such things, there is always hope.

"Okay then, you will help me and the other servants to herd these people out of here." She turned around to see that many of the servants stopped working to listen "Well? Move it!" The servants then began to buzz about the place trying to rouse the healthy to help move the wounded. Amaye's expression then turned to that of a worried mother, but she caught herself and switched to an authoritative state. Yet, did Hiur really plan on doing it?


End file.
